Neymar the headliner of Ancelotti’s curious Brazil World Cup squadplayAncelotti: Neymar is a key player for Brazil (1:48)Ancelotti: Neymar is a key player for Brazil Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti backs Neymar as a key player for the team after announcing his World Cup squad. ancelotti thumb.jpg (1:48)Tim VickeryMay 19, 2026, 01:05 PM ETMultiple Authors
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“It’s forbidden to dream small,” was the backdrop that the Brazilian FA placed behind Carlo Ancelotti as he named his 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And they organized a mega-event for the occasion at Rio de Janeiro’s plush Museum of Tomorrow, the venue where Ancelotti has now chosen to leap into the unknown. There was a bit of musical theater celebrating Brazil’s five World Cup wins, music, and an audience of celebrities, former World Cup winners, and influencers.
And after the build-up, many of those in the audience got the news that they — and placard-holding hordes outside — had been waiting for. Ancelotti made his way down the list position by position, in alphabetical order. He named the goalkeepers, the defenders, the midfielders, and then he arrived at the forwards.
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And when he pulled from Brentford’s Igor Thiago to Zenit St. Petersburg’s Luiz Henrique without mentioning the name of Chelsea’s João Pedro, it was obvious — Neymar was back in. Brazil’s all-time top scorer returned to the national team for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury playing for Brazil against Uruguay in Oct. 2023.
This will be Ancelotti’s first time working with Neymar, whose inclusion will certainly bring about a significant change in group dynamics. Ever since his debut in 2010, Neymar has always been Brazil’s main man. Can he accept being part of the supporting cast?
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Brazil fans celebrate Neymar’s World Cup call-up
The moment Brazil fans inside the Museu do Amanhã discovered Neymar has been included in the World Cup squad.
It is hard to see him being anything else. His form for Santos has not been especially impressive. Indeed, based on form, either recent or over the season, it is very difficult to justify his inclusion at the expense of the Chelsea forward.
In the press conference afterwards, Ancelotti appeared uncomfortable when pressed by a journalist on the disparity: that a player with 15 Premier League goals has been overlooked in favor of one who has been rewarded for putting together a run of 15 not especially distinguished matches. The coach conceded that João Pedro deserved to be included.
It was clear — as argued in a recent piece — that the pair were in direct competition. Neymar’s return has nothing to do with Estêvão’s absence due to injury with Chelsea. Ancelotti made it clear that he does not imagine Neymar playing on the flank, where he would be expected to track back, but instead as a striker through the middle.
Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha looks most likely to be the first in line. Neymar could operate with him if Ancelotti opts to stick with the idea of a front four, or figure as a false nine in between Barcelona’s Raphinha and Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior.
Brazil’s Neymar will play in a fourth World Cup after being called up by manager Carlo Ancelotti. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)Igor Thiago — whose inclusion caps a wonderful story of cutting his way through from obscurity — looks set to provide penalty area presence off the bench if Brazil are straining for a goal. And Endrick, originally considered a likely bet for the next World Cup cycle, has done well enough on loan at Lyon to force his way into contention.
Whether or not Neymar can regain some of his old powers, there is enough attacking talent there to worry any defense. But looking through the rest of the squad, there are some problem areas.
One is the shape of the side. If Ancelotti persists with his front four, that only leaves two in central midfield, one of whom is the 34-year-old Casemiro, who will leave Manchester United at the end of the season. Will this be feasible in conditions of extreme heat? It is worth recalling that when Brazil emerged triumphant at the last World Cup in the United States in 1994, they did so by packing the midfield.
If a striker has to be sacrificed, then dynamic Botafogo midfielder Danilo Santos is an option to come in and form a three-man central block, with Flamengo’s Lucas Paquetá another option. And should Casemiro pick up a suspension, there is some disquiet that his reserve is Al Ittihad’s Fabinho. Ancelotti may live to regret not finding space for Chelsea’s Andrey Santos.
There is some concern in the goalkeeping position. Liverpool’s Alisson is the undisputed first choice, but has been plagued by injury. The backup is Fenerbahce’s Ederson, whose form has not been great. The expected third choice was Al Nassr’s Bento, who had been seen as a likely long-term future starter. But his recent form has also suffered, and in the search for experience and a safe pair of hands, Ancelotti called up the veteran Weverton from Grêmio for his second consecutive World Cup.
The full backs are seen as another potential weak point. Now that Brazil have so many wingers, they are no longer looking for the Cafu or Roberto Carlos type to spend the entire game bursting up and down the touchline.
Instead, the focus is on more defensively minded players, but there has been plenty of criticism for the inclusion of the aging pair of Flamengo’s Danilo and Alex Sandro. Center back is a strong area, but even that’s a worry. The first choice pair of Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos and Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães are on opposite sides in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30, and the risk of injury could well keep Ancelotti up at night, since the reserves are not nearly as commanding.
But there is no show of nerves from Brazil’s coach. “Anxiety,” he stated, “is for a child who goes to school unprepared. I’m calm because I am well prepared.” And now he has to be prepared for the next media frenzy; now that Neymar has been included in the squad, the speculation will switch to whether or not he should be in the starting lineup.
During the press conference, the coach stressed that he does not want stars and that he aims to form “the most resilient team in the world.”
But he has found a place for the biggest star of them all, and Carlo Ancelotti will have to show plenty of resilience to deal with the consequences.
